Gators defeat No. 14 ranked team in the nation

Gators defeat No. 14 ranked team in the nation

A career game from the Gators’ senior guard Jennifer Le led SF State to a dominant 15-point victory over Cal Poly Pomona Saturday.

The Broncos entered the game as the No. 14 ranked team in the country, but were held in check by the Gator defense losing 78-63.

“Tonight, defense was key to the game,” said senior forward Lauren Varney as she explained the Gators’ passing throughout the evening. “We moved the ball really well and had 19 assists. Everyone was involved and we played really well together.”

Le had a fantastic game, scoring a career-high 17 points while adding three assists. Le missed only one shot attempt all game, finishing the game 5-6 from the field while hitting on all three of her shots behind the arc.

“We come in on Mondays to practice shooting free throws and we have really improved,” Le said. “Our teamwork was really important in the game tonight. Everyone was passing the ball and everyone was touching the ball.”

Varney led SF State with 19 points and four assists. Katie Batlin had a strong all-around game with a near triple-double, 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

“This is our second Saturday win we’ve had this season,” said head coach, Joaquin Wallace. “To win it against this team was really good especially because we’re still fighting to get into the tournament.”

The Broncos brought the heat in the first half, shooting 51 percent from the floor, but the Gators were able to overcome their opponents with free throws and passing, exiting the first half with a 41-40 lead.

SF State was able to avenge an early season loss to Cal Poly Pomona in January when they lost by 13.

With the win the Gators improve their record to 10-8 in the CCAA and are tied for fifth place in the conference with four games left in the season.

“We came out with great energy,” said Wallace. “We are still fighting to get into the tournament, so we are in a pretty good position right now (after tonight’s win). But we still have work to do next week.”

The Gators travel down to Southern California next weekend to take on UC San Diego and Cal State San Bernardino.